Disability Groups Urge Stronger Budget Commitments Amid Cuts
Rwanda’s disability rights organizations say the national budget remains inadequate to meet the needs of people with (…)
People with disabilities across Africa are looking to new research on community-based rehabilitation for lasting solutions to challenges of exclusion in education, health care, and livelihoods.
The four-year study, launched in 2024, is being carried out in Rwanda, Cameroon and Zambia, with students collaborating through universities in the Netherlands. It focuses on five pillars: health, education, economic empowerment, and social inclusion — with the goal of ensuring people with disabilities are fully integrated into their communities.
Researchers say many support programs collapse once donor funding ends, leaving gaps in services. The study seeks to identify strategies to make disability-inclusive development more sustainable.
In Rwanda, researchers are examining how government, civil society, faith-based groups and communities can work together to ensure projects endure. Jean Baptiste Sagahutu, a lecturer at the University of Rwanda, said, “Our approach is to make community-based rehabilitation long-lasting, so that services remain even if funders leave.”
Officials say early findings suggest that up to 80% of current challenges could be resolved if sustainability is built into program design.
Rwanda’s 2022 census reported more than 446,000 people with disabilities. Despite progress, barriers remain. “We need to ensure every person with a disability has access to education, health care, and decent work,” said Oswald Tuyizere of the National Council of Persons with Disabilities.
Rwanda’s disability rights organizations say the national budget remains inadequate to meet the needs of people with (…)
Patients at Rwanda’s largest rehabilitation hospital say gaps in health insurance are cutting recovery short, (…)
The Ministry of Education says the number of education workers trained in special needs and inclusive education grew (…)
A newly launched project seeks to enhance economic participation of youth with disabilities through cooperatives in (…)
